Improvement in skirt-supporters



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

I. F. BROWN,`OF NEW LONDON, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND ALLEN RICHARDS, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN SKIRT-SUPPORTERS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 33,971, dated December 17, 1861.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, I. F. BROWN, of New London, in the county of New London and State of Connecticut, have invented a new and Improved Clamp for Holding u p Ladies Skirts, and which I term a Ladys Skirt- Support; and I do hereby declare' that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of my invention; Fig. 2, a side view of the same, and Fig. 3 a longitudinal section of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures'.

The object of this invention is to obtain a very simple and economical clamp to sustain, hold up, or support a ladys skirt and supersede the hand, now chiefly used for the purpose,thereby enabling a lady to use both hands to hold an umbrella in stormy weather, and also enabling her to have both arms and hands at liberty in skating, while the skirt is held up to be sufficiently protected, equally so as if held by the hand.

The invention consists in a novel arrangement of two jaws, an india-rubber spring, and a fulcrum-pin, substantially as hereinafter shown and described.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it. A

A A represent two jaws, which may be of any suitable length and constructed of woodat least that would be the preferable material. The jaws at one end a are curved or so shaped as to grasp the article the-y are designed to hold. The shape of these ends a is shown clearly in Figs. I and 3, and they may be serrated at their inner sides, so as to prevent the slipping out of the article from between them,

B represents the fulcrum-pin of the jaWsA A. This pin is simply tted between the jaws A A near their center, grooves or recesses l) being made transversely in their inner sides to receive the pin, as shown clearly in Fig. 3. The grooves or recesses b b prevent the pin B from casually slipping out from between the jaws A A, and the jaws are kept snugly adjusted to their pin by an elastic band C, which encompasses the jaws A A at a point between the pin B and the ends a a. of the jaws, said band C also keeping the ends a a of the jaws in contact or causing them to grasp firmly the article between them. (See Fig. l.)

The implement is applied to the skirt or dress so as to grasp a fold of the lattter when drawn up, and also grasp an under garment or a hoop of a ho0p-skirt. By this arrangement the under-garment or hoop-skirt is made to serve as a means of support when the clamp is applied to it, the latter attaching the skirt to the under-garment.

By constructing the clamp as shown and described it can be afforded at a very small cost and be made extremely' light and durable. By having the fulcrum-pin B fitted between the jaws A A, as shown, the latter do not require, as in clamps of ordinary construction, to be made heavy at their fulcrum in order that they will not be weakened by the fulcrum-pin passing through them. Much labor and time are saved, also, by my mode of construction, as the parts may be adjusted together in a moment, all drilling, boring, rivet` ing, &c., being avoided. The band C may be of india-rubber.

I do not claim a clamp for holding up the skirt of a dress, for they have been used; nor do I claim, broadly, irrespective of the construction herein shown, a clamp formed of two jaws connected by a fulcrum pin and provided with a spring, for such device is old and well known and may be seenin use, as clothes-pins, thc.; but

I do claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- The two jaws A A, encompassed by an elastic band or spring C, when used in combination with a detached fulcrum-pin B, all being arranged, as shown and described, to form a new and improved article of manufacture, for the purpose set forth.

I. F. BROWN.

Witnesses: l

J No. P. C. MATHER, JOHN RICHARDS. 

